Jaclyn Betham

Betham is of Samoan descent and was born on July 4, 1986, in Long Beach, California.^[1][2] She was a gymnast until the age of 12 when she started taking dance classes.^[3] At fifteen years old, she received a full scholarship to the Houston Ballet and trained with American Ballet Theatre. At eighteen years old, she won a gold medal at the Dance Grand Prix Italia for contemporary and classical ballet. Betham has performed with Ballet San Jose, Anaheim Ballet, Opera San Jose, and the San Francisco Opera.^[4]

Her first acting role was playing a kidnapped girl on America's Most Wanted.^[5] She starred in the popular 2012 short Quiet, a film based on the true story of a lesbian couple caught in a medical nightmare.^[6] In 2013, Betham's first major acting role came when she was cast as Amanda Cryer in the Tyler Perry television series The Haves and the Have Nots.^[7] In 2020, she made her debut as a writer and producer on the film Getaway.^[8]

Betham has worked as a ballet teacher and pilates instructor.^[9] She is the founder of a nonprofit organization called Betham Ballet Theatre.^[10]